AC Milan secured a commanding 3-1 victory against city rivals Inter at San Siro, as reported by The Guardian in an article published on November 2, 2026. The high-stakes Derby della Madonnina marked Ruben Amorim’s first appearance in the fixture since taking over as manager in June, following a summer transfer window that saw the club invest more than €160m in new squad reinforcements. The victory handed Inter their first league defeat of the season and reduced the gap at the top of the Serie A standings.
Coming off a turbulent 4-2 midweek home defeat to Bologna—a match where Amorim cited player exhaustion—the manager made significant adjustments to his starting lineup. Leaving key figures like Luka Modric and Christian Pulisic on the bench in midweek proved to be a deliberate strategy to preserve fitness for the derby. Amorim also deployed 20-year-old Sankhoun Diawara at left wing-back in a 3-4-2-1 formation, returning to the tactical setup that defined his early managerial reputation.
First-Half Momentum and Decisive Goals
Milan exploited Inter’s early defensive vulnerabilities straight from the whistle. In the fourth minute, Diego Moreira cut back onto his left foot on the right wing and delivered a precise cross that Christian Pulisic headed home from close range, capping off an 80-second sequence of unbroken possession. Shortly after, in the 10th minute, Adrien Rabiot doubled the lead with a first-time flick from a rehearsed corner routine where Diawara successfully blocked Hakan Calhanoglu’s defensive tracking.
Inter, facing an injury and illness crisis that sidelined Lautaro Martínez, Francesco Pio Esposito, and Ange-Yoan Bonny, struggled to find their rhythm in a reshuffled setup. However, the reigning champions fought back before halftime when Alessandro Bastoni headed in from a corner. The second half brought sustained pressure from the Nerazzurri, highlighted by a dangerous effort from Djed Spence that required a sharp save from Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Closing Out the Derby and Broader Stakes
Any hopes of an Inter comeback were effectively extinguished when Diego Moreira sealed the result with a 20-yard left-footed free-kick that curled over the wall into the near corner. The victory serves as a major psychological boost for Amorim and the Rossoneri, who had previously shown inconsistency in the final third despite heavy investment, including the ongoing struggles of record signing Gonçalo Ramos.
While the derby win puts Serie A rivals on notice and closes the gap at the top of the table, Amorim was quick to urge caution. The manager emphasized that the squad must maintain focus rather than getting carried away by a single statement result as the league season progresses toward the winter fixtures.
The wider context of Amorim’s arrival highlights a lifelong ambition. Growing up in Lisbon, he supported Benfica locally while developing a deep admiration for the Milan side of the 1980s and 1990s featuring Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, and Dejan Savicevic. Having fulfilled his childhood dream of playing for Benfica, Amorim has now transitioned to coaching his other boyhood favorite. His arrival follows a summer transfer window where club owners backed him with over €160m in transfer fees, helping reshape a squad that had missed out on the Champions League for two consecutive seasons.
Serie A itself has experienced a shift toward high-scoring matches, averaging 3.18 goals per game across the campaign. Yet Milan’s attacking structures have still faced scrutiny. Even after controlling matches, they have occasionally lacked clarity in the final third. Gonçalo Ramos, signed for €73m from Paris Saint-Germain, has scored just twice in 10 starts, frequently dropping too deep instead of holding a central presence in the box. Tactical questions also linger around wing-back Diego Moreira frequently pushing higher up the pitch than the central striker.
Inter entered the match as reigning champions and strong title favorites, having reinforced their deep squad with English additions Curtis Jones, John Stones, and Djed Spence. Manager Cristian Chivu had to manage a severe availability crisis in attack. With Lautaro Martínez out due to a hamstring strain and both Francesco Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny sidelined by a virus, Chivu pushed Andy Diouf forward to play alongside Marcus Thuram, with Petar Sucic on the left. Unlike Milan, who smoothly executed their familiar 3-4-2-1 structure, Inter looked unsettled in the reshuffled system.
Despite the emphatic scoreline, Amorim kept his post-match assessment grounded. He described the derby experience as unlike any other match he had managed, but insisted that Milan had only been good rather than great, noting that the three points were identical to those gained from any standard victory. The Rossoneri have dominated the fixture recently, winning the last four derbies across all competitions and staying unbeaten in the last eight, yet they have not finished above their neighbors since capturing the Scudetto in 2021-22.
The result also arrives in the same week that Milan and Inter jointly unveiled plans for a new stadium to replace San Siro by 2031. Club owner Gerry Cardinale has expressed total backing for “Amorim ball,” and this statement victory at San Siro reinforces the belief that the Rossoneri possess the tactical tools and squad depth to mount a sustained challenge for the Scudetto as the winter fixtures approach.